Learned something new yesterday... Antenna Tread on tires

[paulcb]

Antenna Tread... this little bit of tire technology has somehow escaped me all these years...

What Is Antenna Tread?

Have you noticed that thin line around the circumference of the rear tire, right in the middle of the tread? READ MORE...

www.motorcyclistonline.com

Ari’s answers: All about tires, part II - RevZilla

Did you know tires have something called “antenna tread”? And expiration dates?

www.revzilla.com

 

[Ryan_B]

Thank you! I had no idea and just assumed that this line was somehow where the mold had a seam in the manufacturing process. Fascinating!

 

[Larry Fine]

 

[Mellow]

Shocking!... well... Not.

 

[Upt' North]

 

[wjbertrand]

Tire manufacturers should explain/educate customers better (and their customer service reps) about this. I've seen threads where neither the customer nor the customer service representative for the tire manufacturer knew about this feature and thought the tire was defective. They often end up scrapping perfectly good tires.

 

[Upt' North]

Is it April 1ST.

 

[Obo]

So when you've got belts showing on your tires you should be grounded?

 

[rjs987]

I've seen more than that one line on many tires. That particular line I've known about for a long time. Working in computers all my career I am very well aware of static and know a little about how it builds up and is discharged. Some older cars I've had as well as many older cars my parents had didn't have this line on their tires and when climbing out of the car and your leg just barely touches the rocker panel you would get slight shock as you also touch the ground.

As I said there are often more than just this one line on a new tire. Sometimes you will see color line that is a little bit wider, maybe 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch (.3 cm to .6 cm) that is yellow-ish or tan or red-ish or some other color that is usually located off the center of the tread. This is sometimes how a tire maker identifies the tire size or type or some other such thing and used by the maker to identify tires as they are stacked in the warehouse since they cannot see the sidewall.

 

[SupraSabre]

Interesting!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Skunkape]

Oh goody, now I can cancel the anti-static straps I have ordered.

Actually, we would probably be complaining if they weren't there.

 

[spiderman302]

In the tire compound they have added silica to give us the amazing traction that we have today. But there is also carbon which is evenly distributed through out the compound. This carbon is the conductor that dissipates any static buildup. So that if any point of the tire is touching the ground the bike is fully grounded. Who would think that a joke would later become the truth....
So you learned that somethings you read may not be true.... Where are the fact checkers....

 

[Bikeric]

We're never too old to learn, very interesting, thanks Paul.

 

[Jambriwal]

Antenna Tread... this little bit of tire technology has somehow escaped me all these years...

What Is Antenna Tread?

Have you noticed that thin line around the circumference of the rear tire, right in the middle of the tread? READ MORE...

www.motorcyclistonline.com

Ari’s answers: All about tires, part II - RevZilla

Did you know tires have something called “antenna tread”? And expiration dates?

www.revzilla.com

Wow learned something new today.
Very interesting.

 

[paulcb]

Shocking!... well... Not.

Not bad Joe, but you should keep your day job.

 

[diferg]

I had no idea! In the 60's we had rubberized straps that would drag on the ground under cars to prevent static electric shocks when entering and exiting the car.

 

[Uncle Phil]

I had no idea! In the 60's we had rubberized straps that would drag on the ground under cars to prevent static electric shocks when entering and exiting the car.

Yeah, that was back when cars were made out of real metal!

 

[Larry Fine]

I had no idea! In the 60's we had rubberized straps that would drag on the ground under cars to prevent static electric shocks when entering and exiting the car.

Also helped reduce surprises at toll booths.

 

[paulcb]

I had no idea! In the 60's we had rubberized straps that would drag on the ground under cars to prevent static electric shocks when entering and exiting the car.

That's another thing I didn't know! I started working part time in an auto parts store in 1981 during college, and we certainly didn't sell any of those straps! You can still buy them today...

https://www.amazon.com/Gates-90330-Static-Strap/dp/B000CRBR8U

 

[rwthomas1]

When I was growing up, they claimed grounding straps on vehicles prevented car sickness. No idea if it works.

RT